Apparatus for the treatment of floors



y 1965 G. VAN BRAKEL 3,181,195

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF FLOORS Filed March 18, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MMWEWMWX INVENTOR Gina-[[45 l flh 5 -12 ke ATTORNEYS y 4, 1955 G. VAN BRAKEL 3,181,195

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF FLOORS Filed. March 18, 1963 2 Sheets -Sheet 2 INVENTOR Germ-plu Van Brake! BY VWhZ/Qz,

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,181,195 APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF FLOORS Gerardus van Brake], Rotterdam, Netherlands, assignor to Chem-Y, Fabriek van Chemische Producten N.V.,

Bodegraven, Netherlands, a Dutch corporation Filed Mar. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 265,617

Claims priority, application Netherlands, Mar. 21, 1962,

10 Claims. icl. 1s-s01 The invention relates to apparatus for the treating, cleaning, and/ or waxing of floors of linoleum, tile, wood, or similar material, of retail establishments, offices, factories, houses, apartment houses, and the like.

The novel apparatus of the invention particularly is intended for use with a novel and superior method for cleaning .and/ or waxing floors, described and claimed in my copending divisional application Serial No. 333,784 filed November 27, 1963.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view, partly in section, of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of this embodiment;

FIGURE 3 is a side View, partly in section, of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of this embodiment.

The apparatus of the invention is intended to be fixed to the drive shaft of a floor treating machine. Referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, a holder is shown, consisting of discs 1 and 2, which is fixed to the aforesaid drive shaft. Disc 1 is provided with one or more rows 3 of more or less stiff hairs or bristles of plastic, for example. Around the rows of hair 3 an elastic strap 4 can be arranged to hold together the hairs, by which'a more or less closed rim is formed.

On the part 2 of the holder at number of preferably stiff pins 5 are placed. These pins can consist of wood, metal or plastic.

This embodiment is used in the following manner.

For cleaning a dirty floor a small quantity of sawdust or such material can .be placed under the discs, which saw-dust has been moistened and may, if desired be mixed with a detergent. The above-mentioned discs have been fixed to a normal floor treating machine. When the discs rotate, the saw-dust under the disc is rubbed about the dirty floor. The dirt of the floor is then taken up in the saw-dust. The hairs of the disc 1 do not exert any substantial brush working of the floor, but serve chiefly to hold together the saw-dust under the discs. It is also possible to replace the rows of hairs by a less or more elastic strap. The use of a closing rim of hair has, however, the advantage, that the dirty sawdust is swung outside through the hairs by the centrifugal force, provided by the rotation of the discs. The surprising thing is that the remaining saw-dust is not swung outside. If one applies a closed rim, then the dirty sawdust remains against the inner side of the rim, so that the discs have to be cleaned often.

The purpose of the pins 5 of disc 2 is to entrain the sawdust by rotation of the disc. Without the rotating pins the saw-dust would cake and the cleaning power would decrease.

If in this manner the Whole floor has been cleaned, the dirty saw-dust pushed out is swept from the floor. Thus little Water is used, with all of the attending advantages.

After this one mixes only a very small quantity of fluid wax with saw-dust or such material and polishes with this in the known manner with the disc. In this manner the wax from the saw-dust is polished in the "ice pores of the floor, thus waxing the floor. By this polishing the floor obtains a very hard coat, which keeps the floor cleaner for a longer period of time and increases the life of the floor.

If desired the floor can be rubbed with a normal brush; this is, however, not necessary because one can use a self-polishing wax.

If the floor has been treated in such a manner, it will be necessary only seldom to clean the floor completely. For normal upkeep it is then suflicient to touch up the floor with dry saw-dust mixed with a small quantity of fluid wax, by which the dirt from the floor is taken up in the saw-dust, but the wax which is taken up as well is given back to the floor. This is also an additional advantage, because this saves both wax and work. On places where many people Walk an additional treatment may be necessary.

As already said the treatment with saw-dust, water and detergent can be omitted in many cases. A treatment with saw-dust and wax is then sufiicient for the cleaning and waxing of the floor.

A second embodiment of the invention, employing a rotating brush, and illustrated at FIGS. 3 and 4 is particularly effective with the procedure described in reference to the final embodiment. This embodiment consists of a plane disc 6, which can be fixed, in any known manner, centrally to the hollow shaft 7 of a floor treating machine. A bowl-shaped part 8 is fixed to the plane disc. It is clear that the disc 6 and the bowl-shaped part 8 can be one integral part. The bowl-shaped part 8 is provided with a ring of brush hairs 9 around its periphery.

Through the hollow shaft 7 a shaft 10 has been fixed, on which three arms 11 of the stirring member are arranged. The stirring member may have more or fewer than three arms II.

50 to of the space enclosed by the bowl 8 and the hairs 9 can be filled with saw-dust or such material, which saw-dust can be mixed with water, detergent or wax. The arms 11 of the stirring member can be twisted somewhat in a certain direction, preferably in such a way that by rotating of the brush the saw-dust or such material is directed to the floor.

It is simpler to keep the stirring member stationary however, it is also possible to rotate the stirring member. When this rotation takes place in the same direction as the brush, then it has to take place with another speed, than the speed of the brush; when brush and stirring member rotate in opposite directions, then they can rotate with the same speed, if desired.

The arms 11 are solid or hollow and preferably have an oblong cross section. The arms have substantially the form of a somewhat twisted strip. If hollow, water can be directed through them to discharge at any point desired along the strips.

One or more pins 12 can be arranged at the upper or lower side of the arms 11, to obtain a better stirring operation.

With this embodiment of the invention the saw-dust is also prevented from caking, so that the whole mass of saw-dust remains useful during treatment of the floor.

In this embodiment the hairs of the brush actually have but little of a brush function; they chiefly serve to close the space under the bowl 8. A rim of hairs is preferred to a closed strap, as the latter seals off the space, and the device hardly can be moved.

It is possible to form the rim of hairs of two parts: an inner rim of nylon hairs and stiffer hairs to contain the saw-dust and around this rim an outer rim of softer hogs hairs. The purpose of this outer rim is to rub out the floor which is treated with saw-dust and wax.

This rubbing normally has to be carried out separately, although it is not absolutely necessary for obtaining a good result. The inner and outer rim may, if desired, be separated by a skirt of thin plastic, or like material, which would help to keep the outer rim clean and dry by inhibiting the outward passage of the saw-dust and impregnants.

The machine, to which the embodiments of this invention are to be attached need not be considerably altered, but the shaft 7 of the machine must be made hollow for passage of fluid through that shaft.

It can be advantageous to mix the saw-dust with -20% by weight of hard or partly softened polyvinylchloride shavings, or example.

While there have been described what are considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention; and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A rotary brush device, comprising an annular brush, with a hollow space for containing saw-dust type material, a stirring member disposed within the hollow space, said stirring member being arranged for rotation with respect to the brush.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the stirring member is mounted concentrically with respect to the axis of rota-tion of the brush and has a plurality of blades extending therefrom.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which the blades are hollow and of oblong cross section, the longitudinal axis of which is inclined to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the brush.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, in which the longitudinal axes of the blades are so directed with respect to said plane that, on rotation of the device, the blades direct any material contained therein downwards.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, in which the stirring member carries pins, which extend parallel to the axis of rotation of the brush.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, in which the device has a garland of soft bristles around the periphery and inside this a garland of stiffer bristles with a dividing skirt of plastic material.

7. A disc comprising a fiat round holder for attachment at its centre to a driving shaft of a floor treating machine, said holder having one or more rows of bristles near its periphery, and a plurality of stiff pins being arranged to extend from the holder with their free ends lying within the space bounded by the said bristles.

8. A disc, comprising a flat round holder for attachment at its centre to the driving shaft of a floor treating machine, said holder having an'endless surrounding strap of elastic material near its periphery, and a plurality of stiff pins being arranged to extend from the holder, with their free ends lying within the space bounded by the strap.

9. A disc as claimed in claim 8, in which the holder comprises two parts, for attachment together, the said strap being arranged on an upper part and the pins on a lower part.

10. A disc as claimed in claim 7 in which a strap of rubber-like material is arranged around the upper ends of the bristles, in order to compress them together.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 729,624 6/03 Mason l346 1,582,773 4/26 Nash 134-6 1,697,274 1/29 Gillis 15- 501 1,872,602 8/32 Olsen 15 320 x 2,972,772 2/61 Cortez 15 501 CHARLES A. W'ILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

. M. O. WOLK, Examiner. 

1. A ROTARY BRUSH DEVICE, COMPRISING AN ANNULAR BRUSH, WITH A HOLLOW SPACE FOR CONTAINING SAW-DUST TYPE MATERIAL, A STIRRING MEMBER DISPOSED WITHIN THE HOLLOW SPACE, SAID STIRRING MEMBER BEING ARRANGED FOR ROTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE BRUSH. 